Low-calorie sweeteners may not be as healthy as we think

Weather of Arabia - National Geographic Arabia Magazine - Some artificial sweeteners affect gut microbes in a way that may lead to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease.

Many drink sugar-free soft drinks and enjoy their sweetness without the remorse associated with the high calories in sugar. But a new study suggests that artificial sweeteners may not be as harmless as we thought, and may actually increase the odds of diabetes and weight gain.

If glucose remains in the blood, the risk of diabetes increases

Scientists have long suspected a link between artificial sweeteners and obesity. But this link had previously only been shown in lab mice. For the first time, the experiment was conducted on humans, as scientists studied the effect of these chemicals on humans. Their findings show that artificial sweeteners affect the gut microbiota, which is essential for nutrient absorption, vitamin K synthesis, and fiber digestion; Some of them affect how quickly the body gets rid of blood sugar after meals. The longer glucose stays in the blood, the greater the odds of developing diabetes and chronic kidney disease. "Artificial sweeteners are used to provide sweet taste without calories, but non-nutritive sweeteners are not inactive in humans," says Eran Elinav, an immunologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, who led the study.

Microbes and viruses in our bodies

The human body hosts a variety of microbes, bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live naturally in our bodies, in our gut, nose, mouth, eyes, and skin. Its number of cells is equivalent to the cells of the entire human body. They aid our digestion, protect us from pathogens, and boost immunity. These negative effects occur because non-nutritive sweeteners do not contain calories for humans, but some of the body's microbes feed on them and then multiply. This leads to an imbalance in the gut microbial population, which can cause chronic bowel inflammation and colon cancer.

A careful study cuts off doubt with certainty

"These sweeteners are designed to be calorie-free for us, but not for our gut microbes that feed on them," says Michael Goran, MD, professor of pediatrics and director of the Nutrition and Obesity Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The study from the Weizmann Institute of Science confirms that non-nutritive sweeteners affect the gut microbiome within two weeks of consumption, and indicates that their effect on sugar digestion varies from person to person. "The results of the study are convincing because these sweeteners actually affect the human body, and they have similar effects even if they are composed of different compounds," Goran adds. "This is a rigorous study that definitively demonstrates that non-nutritive sweeteners impede glucose metabolism by damaging the gut microbiome," says David Katz, a registered dietitian and founder of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Yale University. "The study results do not mean that we should replace nonnutritive sweeteners with sugar, but rather that we should explore alternative ways to reduce our sugar consumption," Katz explains.

Written by: Sanjay Mishra - National Geographic Arabic Magazine